[alexvitara]

ok i'm going to make a draw/ storage set up for the back off my vitara.
the reason i've posted it in I made it and fabrication is because i'm going to post up pics and details thru out the build but for now i need to work out what materials i should use.

Obviously i want it to be fairly strong but i dont want to over kill it and make it super heavy.

should i use 15mm ply all round?
or 19mm for the top, bottom and 2 sides and 15mm for all the dividers?
something to note is that the back of a vitara isn't flat so the base wont be supported by the floor, only on the front edge and back corners.

any other suggestions/ opinions are welcome too.
cheers
alex

[atari4x4]

i used 17mm for the bulk of mine & i made packers to suit the different heights so the floor is supported to stop it from bowing under the weight.

[monley]

I voted 19mm.

I used 15mm to make my flat floor and i can not tie my sub down tight with the ratchet strap cus it starts to bend the ply, so 19mm would be much better IMO.

[ninjamoses]

Pretty sure mine is a combination of 12mm and 9mm from memory. Light enough I can lift it in and out myself, and it leaves more room for actually packing stuff. The 12mm floor supported a fully chockers 40ltr engel without any issues on my Pilbara trip so I reckon its plenty strong enough.

Maybe look at 12mm for the dividers and 15mm for the floors/tops? Probably comes down to how much weight you think you'll store in them.

Something else you might want to consider - don't have any floor at all under the drawer section, its just dead weight if it isnt needed. As you've mentioned the rear floors in the Vits aren't flat, so if you build the drawers so they are actually level (requires the sides to have a 40mm difference in height from front to back) it gives you a shallow but relatively large hidden storage area under the drawers to stash stuff.

[atari4x4]

ninjamoses wrote:

it gives you a shallow but relatively large hidden storage area under the drawers to stash stuff.

so you're a drug mule too

[alexvitara]

ninjamoses wrote:

Pretty sure mine is a combination of 12mm and 9mm from memory. Light enough I can lift it in and out myself, and it leaves more room for actually packing stuff. The 12mm floor supported a fully chockers 40ltr engel without any issues on my Pilbara trip so I reckon its plenty strong enough.

Maybe look at 12mm for the dividers and 15mm for the floors/tops? Probably comes down to how much weight you think you'll store in them.

Something else you might want to consider - don't have any floor at all under the drawer section, its just dead weight if it isnt needed. As you've mentioned the rear floors in the Vits aren't flat, so if you build the drawers so they are actually level (requires the sides to have a 40mm difference in height from front to back) it gives you a shallow but relatively large hidden storage area under the drawers to stash stuff.

i have considered the no floor idea but both my ice box and draw will be running on sliders underneath rather than runners so thats out of the question.

is yours just regular ply or that fancy pants stuff like ataris?

[laurie]

mine is all 12 mm ply glue and screw.
not heavy and no problems in 18 months or so.

[MacDaddy]

Personally, i think 15 and 19mm is overkill, and will just add a heap of unwanted weight... i would use 12mm for the floor and 6 to 9mm for the sides...

[Poita]

Or aluminium tube and only use the ply where necessary. Keeps the weight down even more!

[alexvitara]

Poita wrote:

Or aluminium tube and only use the ply where necessary. Keeps the weight down even more!

thanks for the idea.
i have thought about this but i'm more confident working with wood and the ally tube will take up to much space imo.


i'm now thinking 15mm all round will be enough, but keep your thoughts and ideas coming

[Chop]

12mm

[atari4x4]

Chop wrote:

12mm

really, what would you know?

i've got a 1/2 sheet of 12mm ply at home & it's like one of rolf harris' wobble boards

[MART]

Go for the best quality you can afford , you can get the yellow pva wood glue , this stuff is awesome for glueing ply , I would make all the frame out of 17 - 19 , and the drawers depending on load the same , if you are serious 4 wheeler you don;t want that stuff coming lose , with the 17 - 19 mm ply it gives enough room to be a little crooked when screwing and not have it poke out the sides , a small pilot drill will help keep the screws staight and stop them veering off centre. You can put 20 x 20 x 3 ally angle on exposed edges to avoid chipping when loading and unloading , also throw some marine carpet in the bottom of your draws to avoid everything being chaffed or rubbed while wheeling , also buy a can of spray clear laquer to seal all of the cut edges to avoid the timber swelling , get at least 2 inch screws to join it so they don't pull out , use a wet rag to clean up the glue as you go. Most of my jobs I get MR PLYWOOD to cut it up , as all the joins are spot on , a little bit of planning can make it look awesome when finished , Cheers Paul.

[atari4x4]

i agree with Mart, mines built from 17mm form ply.

[alexvitara]

i'll be buying the wood tomorrow around ten. at this stage i'm still unsure.

when you say yellow pva glue, is the glue itself yellow or the bottle it come in??

[buzbox]

A while ago I made up a drawer system thing, but I found I can pack more stuff in with out it. It weighed the car down even more, And as we all know, more weight = more fuel.

My recovery gear, car crap and tools, which took up one drawer is now in a duffel bag that I bought for $10 which is the perfect size for it to be on the floor behind the passanger seat, it's easy to grab something out of it, like a strap, rather than having to get out of the car, open the door and drawer. And I just chuck it in the car when I need it.

The camping gear drawer is now a plastic tub, which again, I can fit more stuff in it than the drawer itself. It sits flatter, it's easy to pack stuff around it and when were at camp it's kept under the camp table so no more walking back to the car because you forgot something.

My conclusion is, Sure all the cool kids in magazines have them, they look good and are handy, but un-necessary.

[alexvitara]

buzbox wrote:

A while ago I made up a drawer system thing, but I found I can pack more stuff in with out it. It weighed the car down even more, And as we all know, more weight = more fuel.

My recovery gear, car crap and tools, which took up one drawer is now in a duffel bag that I bought for $10. I just chuck it in the car when I need it. Much quicker than having to unbolt and remove the drawers.

The camping gear drawer is now a plastic tub, which again, I can fit more stuff in it than the drawer itself. It sits flatter, it's easy to pack stuff around it and when were at camp it's kept under the camp table so no more walking back to the car because you forgot something.

My conclusion is, Sure all the cool kids in magazines have them, they look good and are handy, but un-necessary.

thanks for the input but i disagree.
i have been doing the plastic boxes for a while now and they are starting to piss me off, especially when your fully loaded up and the thing you need is in the bottom of the box with your swag, clothes, chairs etc etc stacked ontop of it.

i've tried to design my setup so that its dividing/ securing everything which will also be alot safer in the case of heavy breaking or a crash (touch wood).

i dont think weight will be to much of an issue as i doubt it will weight anymore than carrying a passenger. and the drawers will be permanent so no hassles with removing. In saying that when not camping the jerry can, icebox, the drawer itself and other bits and pieces will be removed which will lighten it up significantly.

[MacDaddy]

Poita wrote:

Or aluminium tube and only use the ply where necessary. Keeps the weight down even more!

Alum 20mm Square tube is what i am going to use for mine, get it all from Bunnings, or i will when i get around to it, lol... just need to find some motivation to do it...

[atari4x4]

alexvitara wrote:

MacBear wrote:

Poita wrote:

Or aluminium tube and only use the ply where necessary. Keeps the weight down even more!

Alum 20mm Square tube is what i am going to use for mine, get it all from Bunnings, or i will when i get around to it, lol... just need to find some motivation to do it...

i've seen them done with this, they look very

is that the cubelok stuff, good luck getting that to go the distance in a 4wd. the plastic joiners will flog out especially with some load on it & looking at the price of the plastic joiners it's not going to be a cheap solution.

[Poita]

I will be bolting mine together so shouldn't have any hassles.
Will also be using a ply top and maybe sides to give it some strength but only where necessary to keep the weight down.

[boostedbrick]

Yellowtoung flooring board is what you need if you want strength. Wax coating on one of the flat surfaces makes it good for water proofing. I had a single piece as a floor in my sierra, with a bit of angle up the front edge. This could hold mine and another's weight without bending.

The box underneath was added later on.

[Poita]

I used the same stuff to make a floor and walkway in the ceiling space of my house. Good stuff and fairly cheap.

[alexvitara]

after hearing everyones opinions and reading about other draws people have made i went for 15mm all round

now to start cutting, sticking and screwing

[atari4x4]

but the poll said you had to go with 19mm...

the main reason i went with the 17mm was due to not having a divider for the 2 drawers in the middle to stop the top bowing when loaded.

i hope you're ready to spend hours scratching your head thinking, what if I do this, or what about that.... i've drawn the line at having keyless entry hooked up to my alarm/central locking.

[alexvitara]

the Poll is even now

yeh, with my design there's lots of dividers to support it so 15 should be fine.
i've already spent hours thinking, measuring and visualizing

[MART]

Glue is yellow , Cheers Paul.

[MacDaddy]

atari4x4 wrote:

alexvitara wrote:

MacBear wrote:

Poita wrote:

Or aluminium tube and only use the ply where necessary. Keeps the weight down even more!

Alum 20mm Square tube is what i am going to use for mine, get it all from Bunnings, or i will when i get around to it, lol... just need to find some motivation to do it...

i've seen them done with this, they look very

is that the cubelok stuff, good luck getting that to go the distance in a 4wd. the plastic joiners will flog out especially with some load on it & looking at the price of the plastic joiners it's not going to be a cheap solution.

Ha ha, not sure if it is cubelok, but i reckon it will stand up to offroading well... i went to Bunnings to price it all today, Alum is $11 per 2mx20mmx1.2mm, or $15 per 2mx20mmx1.8mm length... and the plastic joiners range from $1 to $3, and are alot stronger than they look, but i will be screwing it all together as well, thru the plastic joiners, and the ply will become part of the frame as well...

[89zook]

I built these out of 12mm and have had no problem with them we even rolled 3 times and they didn't move not even the fridge moved

http://www.auszookers.com/index.php?nam ... ic&t=17927

[alexvitara]

progress

[alexvitara]